11-year-old on way to school is attacked by pack of dogs, SC cops say. ‘Traumatizing’
Police are searching for two dogs that mauled a child on his way to a school bus in South Carolina, local media reports.
A’Rhyan Anderson was on his way to a school bus stop at about 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, in Clinton when he was attacked by a pack of dogs, according to the Clinton Police Department, per WYFF’s report. He was about 100 yards away from the stop when the dogs rushed on him.
The 11-year-old was mauled by the dogs until neighbors shooed them off, Fox Carolina reported. They then called the police, and responders brought Anderson to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital.
The child had “very serious injuries” from the attack, police said, according to Fox Carolina.
Anderson’s mother, Amy Lowe, told WYFF her son was bit about 60 times by the pack of dogs.
“It’s traumatizing,” she told WSPA. “I’m traumatized. I’m sure my son is traumatized.”
A neighbor in the area, Natasha Mims, said she was one of the people who helped pull Anderson out from the dogs, WSPA reported. She called 911 when she saw what condition the child was in.
“The dogs really looked like they had eaten him alive,” Mims told WSPA. “At this point, I didn’t know whether he was dead or alive. I saw nothing but bones. I saw that he was eaten up really bad.”
Anderson was out of surgery as of Wednesday in stable condition, but he will need a long time to recover in physical therapy, his mother told WYFF.
“I want the dogs put down,” his mother told WSPA. “I want the owners of the dogs held responsible. They’re going to be held accountable. I want justice for my son.”
Two of the dogs were put down by officers, the department said, according to Fox Carolina. Police were reportedly still searching for two other dogs, and an owner was not identified.
Clinton is about 60 miles northwest of Columbia.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 12:46 PM with the headline "11-year-old on way to school is attacked by pack of dogs, SC cops say. ‘Traumatizing’."
